


Captains In Arms

by DanteSKrauser



Category: Marvel, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Video Game), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25836604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanteSKrauser/pseuds/DanteSKrauser
Summary: Three weeks after the Infinity Gauntlet incident, Steve's been ignoring Carol frequently. This infuriates the fearsome Captain Marvel, and she wants answers. Is he cutting all ties with her, or is something else wrong with the Sentinel of Liberty? (Part of my MUA-3009 universe)
Relationships: Carol Danvers/Steve Rogers, Elizabeth Braddock/Logan (Implied)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11





	1. Cold Shoulder Avoidance

**Author's Note:**

> I've several sources of inspiration for publishing this: One, this is a minimally explored pairing. I don't believe I've even seen Steve and Carol hook up in an alternate universe. Two, there used to be a wonderful Steve/Carol writer at Wattpad that I'd discovered in mid-July. She had two full-fledged stories and a collection of Co-Captains one-shots. Loved those fics. Unfortunately, the author ceased to exist after July 27th, so my go-to for Steve/Carol fanfics dwindled significantly. I may as well contribute to this small fandom. "Don't wait for dreams to happen, do it yourself!" My mum said that once. Three: I really love MUA 3. Play it like crazy. Enjoy the latest chapter!

What in the world is wrong with Captain Steve Rogers? Three weeks since the conclusion of the Infinity Gauntlet incident, the square-jawed Sentinel of Liberty socially distanced himself from the proactive Colonel Carol Danvers. Every phone call or text she sent to him was met with no response. When she would attempt to converse with him after team meetings, he would always give her a quick response of declination and dart out of the board room. What had significantly infuriated Carol was the fact that they weren’t privately hanging out as frequently as they used to. Clad in a brown bomber jacket worn over a white shirt (displaying the phrase “Boston Baseball Forever”), dark blue jeans and ankle-high black boots, she entered Avengers Tower. Her eyebrows furrowed into deep thought: She had started believing their association would elevate beyond friendship. What were his feelings in regards to her? Would the wholesome Captain actually commence a relationship with the impetuous heroine?

Atop the dark-colored tile ground, Carol briskly walked past suit clad executives, SHIELD guards, and an insufferable, gigantic Iron Man statue that causes her to shake her head in mild annoyance. Tony Stark is indeed an embodiment of technological ingenuity, but does he have to plaster statues of himself all over the damn establishment to remind people of such facts? Discarding the thoughts of Stark’s rampant narcissism, she hurried on to the training room. In the mornings, Steve committed himself to rigorous exercise sessions and was often flanked by his inner circle of friends: Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and Natasha Romanov. She hoped to have a few words with him before he headed to his office to start work.

Pulling open the double doors Carol noticed Sam and Bucky, each adorned in fitness apparel in addition to protective headgear and boxing gloves, engaged in a grueling sparring session inside the elevated boxing ring, each round lasting three minutes apiece. At ringside Natasha, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, long black pants and red sneakers, dutifully timed their rounds with a stopwatch function of her smartphone, while also giving both combatants one-minute resting periods. Carol jogged over to Nat’s side, the latter clapping her left hand on the canvas thrice as a signal to both fighters that there were ten seconds left in the round.

“Hey, Nat,” Carol greeted with a slight smirk on her lips.

“Hello, Carol,” the esteemed Black Widow returned the smirk. “Just a moment, gotta finish this round.” A few more seconds pass and the stopwatch alarm rapidly chirps. Pressing the silent button, the crimson-haired superspy yelled, “Time!” The sparring partners walked towards Natasha’s area, bent over the top rope and outstretched an arm as she handed each of them a sports bottle that were nicely nestled on the steel steps during practice rounds.

“Hello, boys,” Carol waved at Steve’s most loyal companions.

“Hey there, Captain,” Bucky quickly muttered before squirting a jet stream of clear fluids in his mouth.

After swallowing a much-needed mouthful of water, Sam replied, “Hi, Carol. You looking to step through these ropes and go a few rounds with us?”

With her hands on her hips and donning a brazen yet confident (or perhaps arrogant) grin, Carol responded with, “As much as I’d like to kick your asses all over this ring, I was actually hoping to catch your boy, Captain America, in this area. Did he skip his morning routine?”

“You actually missed him by five minutes,” Sam answered, whilst pointing at the Entrance/Exit double doors. “Normally he does train with us, but lately he’s been exercising alone. It doesn’t seem like him to work solo. Almost appears as he’s distant or depressed about something.”

“Thanks for the heads-up, Sam,” Carol nodded in affirmation before draping her left arm across Natasha’s shoulders and guided her a few feet away from the squared circle. “Nat, you and Steve are best buddies, right? I imagine he tells you everything. Sam said he was feeling depressed about something. Does that something, or _someone_ , happen to be an Air Force photonic battery from Boston, Massachusetts?”

Natasha’s only answer came in the form of downcast eyes and silence, complete with thinly pressed lips.

Carol placed her hands onto Natasha’s shoulders, a forlorn countenance adorned in her eyes. “Help a girl out, Nat. You’re well aware that I’ve got the utmost respect and admiration for our residential boy scout. If I have treated him unfairly, I’ll gladly apologize and talk it out with him.”

Natasha gently removed Carol’s grip of her shoulders and proceeded to take a long exhale. “It isn’t you, Carol. Steve’s not mad at you. He’s… It would be best if he explains himself to you.”

Carol scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. “I have attempted numerous conversations with America’s Asshole, Nat! He always comes up with one lame excuse after another. He’s been ducking me like the fucking plague for three weeks, and I’m quite sick of it!”

Natasha quickly raised and lowered her arms, gesturing the fiery space defender to quell her temper. “Calm yourself, Carol. You know well in his truest of hearts that he’s not an asshole. If it were me, I’d go to his office on the third floor and take a peek through his window. If he’s preoccupied with his computer, enter his office and swiftly lock his door. He’ll have no excuses to fall back on and nowhere to hide. I assure you, he’ll tell you absolutely everything you need to know.”

Giving Natasha a quick hug, Carol only replied with, “Thanks, Nat.”

Pivoting on her heels, Carol headed towards the double doors when she was halted by two words: “Hey, Carol.”

Carol craned her head slightly to her right shoulder, awaiting a response.

“I really hope you and Steve can resolve your emotional problems. By then, you can show him the fullest extent of your admiration!”

“Shut up, Romanov!” Carol hissed with flushed cheeks, sprinting towards and pushing through the exit doors.

Sporting a wide, pearly grin, Natasha couldn’t help but take pride over her friend’s embarrassment. Walking back ringside, she retrieved the sport bottles from Sam and Bucky as they retreated to their respective corners. Placing the bottles onto the steel stairs once more, Natasha grabbed her smartphone out of her pants pocket and adjusted the timer to three minutes. As she clicked the countdown button, she yelled to both combatants, “Box!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have amalgamated some elements between the comics and the MCU. Originally, this was a gigantic one-shot. Several songs fueled my inspiration. The mood of the first two chapters were inspired by Crossfade's "Cold".


	2. Talk To Me, Steve!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The inevitable confrontation between Captain America and Captain Marvel. What's the cause of the frequent snubs?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the latest chapter!

Carol bursted to a full-blown speed walk the instant the single-panel elevator door opened itself. Turning left, she made a merciless beeline on the path to the office of her currently insufferable friend, the typically earnest Steve Rogers. As she stopped at the fifth door down the hallway, she swiveled left. Baring down the sight of a darkened, steel door that featured a single window panel. Imprinted on the window in white, emboldened lettering was the name **_Steve Rogers_**. Carol sneered through the transparent piece of tile and witnessed her fellow Avenger staring intently at a computer monitor, his fingers rapidly tapping away on a connected keyboard.

“ _The old man must be working on the Infinity Gauntlet debriefing report,”_ Carol thought as she gripped the doorknob. “ _It’s now or never, Danvers.”_ Turning the knob, she pushed the door open, entered the office of Captain America, and deftly closed it, whilst double-locking the dividing contraption. Carol strolled over to his desk and folded her arms while wearing an intense scowl on her face.

Steve, decked in a navy blue polo shirt, long khaki pants and dark brown dress shoes, diverted his eyes away from his virtual assignment and to the hazel-eyed faux-hawk individual he tried so hard to avoid. Internally, he trembled at her permeating glare; he went wide-eyed at her unexpected presence. If looks could kill, Thanos & Thane would’ve been annihilated at Sanctuary, not the center of the universe. After taking one hard gulp, Steve at last spoke: “Uh.. Colonel Danvers. I… I wasn’t expecting to see you today. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of things to discuss, but I’m on crunch time with this debriefing so maybe-”

Another excuse. Carol unfolds her arms and slams her hands down on Steve’s metal desk, jolting the already frightened Captain. “I’ve had enough of this! You’ve been so full of bullshit these past few weeks. Once we separated all the Infinity Gems, you’ve hardly spoke a word to me. When I call you, it’d go to voicemail. When I text you, you wouldn’t send me a return text. I try to hang out or make idle chatter with you, you’ve conjured every variation of, ‘Sorry, I can’t. Gotta go!’ I want to know what the hell is wrong with you, Steve. Did I piss in your coffee? Did I disrespect Bucky, Sam, Peggy, or anyone else close to you? Have I become a bigger asshole than before? I’d love to make amends with you, but you’ve gotta give me some answers!”

Though his eyes remained at Carol’s furious gaze as his lips quivered, Steve’s answer was only silence.

“C’mon, Steve,” Carol pleaded, folding her hands. “I could care less if I piss off people like the Red Skull or MODOK. But if I were to make you angry, I wouldn’t feel proud of myself for a few days. So please tell me what’s wrong with us.”

Lowering his head, Steve folded his hands in interlacing fashion. His eyes alternated left and right, eyeballing the stack of papers, writing utensil cups, a stapler, and a bobblehead of a famed New York baseball player stationed across various portions of his desk. Steve dreaded this moment. What should he tell her? What he did to Carol a while ago, he knew it was necessary. But it was nevertheless a repulsive societal action, wasn’t it? Had he been constantly overthinking this? She’d probably brush it off and tell him it was nothing. He knew he was going to have this uncomfortable conversation sooner or later, and he knew the mighty Captain Marvel wasn’t leaving his office anytime soon, workplace admonishments notwithstanding. He reverted his gaze back to his fellow Avenger captain, whom by now has taken a seat and hunched over his desk.

“I’m so sorry, Carol…” Steve murmured in melancholy.

Carol sighed, her anger gradually subsiding. “I know you are, Steve. All I want is-”

“Please Carol, I need to finish. I’m truly sorry for what I did to you back at Knowhere. I felt I couldn’t look at you straight in the eyes without thinking of that dreadful fight we had during our conflict against the Black Order. To say I felt awful would be a massive understatement.”

Carol’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Wait, what? A **_lot_** had happened in our fight against Thanos’ forces. Can you remind me again about what had happened between us?”

Steve slowly inhaled and exhaled. “Well, in all fairness, you weren’t exactly yourself, but…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well on the next chapter, we'll see some cameos from other Marvel characters that aren't affiliated with the Avengers. (Okay, maybe one or two.) The characters that will appear are based off my personal preferences in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. Plus, I can't fit all of the playable characters in the flipping chapter!


	3. Captain Marvel, Black Order Weapon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We flash back to three weeks ago. During the defense of Knowhere, Carol impulsively advances to the second floor of the space station. A cruel fate awaits her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was TOO big for one chapter, so I had to split it up! There's now a total of five chapters.  
> Hot take: I took massive liberties with the Ebony Maw boss battle. I felt these changes were necessary to convey the story I wanted to portray. I also wanted to highlight Carol's flaws in a somewhat realistic conjecture. Plus, I wanted to display Ebony Maw's definitive superpower: His otherworldly manipulation. Enjoy the latest chapter!

-Knowhere, Three Weeks Ago

The Ultimate Alliance was too late. Too late in preventing the Black Order’s invasion of Knowhere, this they knew. As the All-Father Odin transported them to the massive space station, they quickly acquainted themselves with the Russian telepathic space dog called Cosmo. He had requested they lend assistance to the Nova Corps to fend off Thanos’ foot soldiers known as Outriders. Among Captain America’s immediate group were self-proclaimed Guardians of the Galaxy leader Star-Lord, veteran X-Men members Wolverine and Psylocke, and fellow Avengers Hulk and Captain Marvel. Well, Carol had been helping with the defense of the Outriders until she impulsively decided to shoulder charge her way through a cluster of the multi-armed, parasitic peons, preemptively gaining entry into the hyperlift elevator and headed up to the next floor.

Once he had slain five Outriders with his double-barreled blasters, Star-Lord, alternatively known as Peter Quill, had taken notice of Carol’s unusually rash decision. He then averted his view to the pugilistic Captain America, whom had taken down three Outriders with ferocious fists. He hasn’t even unstrapped the vibranium shield off his back yet.

“Hey, Cap!” Quill waved. “I noticed that your friend, the other Captain, had decided to brutally waltz through a swarm of Thanos’ no-brain lackeys and move on to the next floor by herself. I know that she’s totally powerful, but could you go on ahead and make sure she doesn’t get into trouble?”

Steve was hesitant on his current situation. “What about you guys? There’s still Outriders attacking this area.”

The masked space outlaw shrugged his shoulders, scoffing. “Let’s see, with us are a jolly green giant not named Drax, a muscular hairball with vicious claws and his sexy psychic ninja friend. Plus, our other allies are nearby, so don’t fret! We’ll take care of one another. Now move on quickly and make sure Princess Sparklefists isn’t reduced to atoms at the hands of the Black Order. Go!”

Steve curtly nodded at Quill before dashing to the hyperlift. His only hope was that Captain Marvel was still in one piece.

The shutters of the hyperlift elevator opened horizontally, and Carol had entered the second floor. Within seconds, her brain started to experience massive muscular soreness, one that is comparable to a migraine. She clutched the sides of her head as her ears rang, briefly stumbling before buckling to her knees. Amid the high-pitched soundwaves flowing in her ears, she faintly heard the commands of a hollow and distorted feminine voice: “Restrain her, Cull Obsidian!”

Carol felt her arms being forcefully pulled back and held in a chicken-winged hold by the Black Order’s gigantic axe-wielder, the desert-brown, rough-skinned behemoth called Cull Obsidian. Floating down to Carol’s left side was the white-cloaked, cerulean-faced omnipath, the terrifying Supergiant. Sauntering over to her captured prey, she extended her black-gloved left hand near the Air Force pilot’s face, her fingers emitting a fuchsia-tinted energy. The pain within Carol’s mind increased tenfold, causing her to writhe and thrash in worse agony than before, whilst unleashing helpless, blood-curdling screams from the depths of her vocal cords.

A fog of shadow materialized from the metallic floor and contoured itself into physical form; Particularly, the regally-uniformed black tongue of Thanos, the eerily persuasive Ebony Maw. He held out his right hand, signaling Supergiant to cease her telepathic assault.

“That’s quite enough,” Maw commanded, deftly walking towards the subdued Captain Marvel. He hunched over at eye level, his glossy blues peering into Carol’s hazel orbs. “It was quite foolish of you to arrive at the precipice of the Collector’s gallery by your lonesome. You had thought that with your cosmic might alone, you could save your friends the effort and launch a lone assault on the entire Black Order. A severe miscalculation that will prove to be rather fatal for all involved.”

Though her mind was weary, Carol remained defiant. “It’s a mistake I intend to rectify. I’ll break free from Obsidian’s grip, wipe the floor with all three of you, and I’ll rejoin my friends-”

Maw interrupted, “Your friends shall be preoccupied in combat against you, Colonel Danvers. By pledging your fealty to us, your alliance shall crumble and our master will complete the Infinity Gauntlet sooner than anticipated.”

Carol chortled at the prospect of fighting her own allies. “I’m not doing a damn thing you say.”

Maw inched closer to her face, his sneer narrowing. “Yes, you will, little madam. Soon you’ll realize that these so-called friends are nothing more than fair-weather individuals who never had a care in the world for you.”

“This won’t work on me, Maw,” Carol shook her head, genuinely unsure if she actually believed her last statement.

Maw mischievously beamed. “You are bombastic, haughty, and socially unpleasant. You’ve also quite the arrogant streak on you. When the day Captain Rogers officially deemed you a Co-Captain of your pathetic ensemble, your conceit swelled to exponential proportions! Everyone around you held a silent, deep-rooted resentment against you: SHIELD peons, your Avenger teammates as well as its varying allies… All the way down to Captain America himself. Do you honestly believe he would hold reverence and love for such a pretentious snob like yourself? And you actually fantasized of having a future with him. Humbly speaking, I think he’d be much better off with someone like Agent 13, Ms. Van Dyne, Maximoff or even Romanov… Don’t you think?”

Carol’s facial expressions alternated between fury and anguish. She squirmed within Obsidian’s grip to no avail. “Why don’t you shut your damn mouth?! What’s inside my head, the contents of my personal life, is none of your business! You don’t know what I want out of life, and you sure as hell won’t force me into attacking my friends. They… they are my friends, aren’t they? Steve… No matter what fancy words you verbalize, I will NEVER lay a single finger on Captain America. I’ll never be a weaponized bitch for the Black Order.”

Ebony Maw abruptly clutched her throat, retaining his calm visage. “With just a few words, I shall ensure us a brand-new weapon. She will indeed expunge the very existence of Captain America.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Musically speaking, the last three chapters were inspired by She Wants Revenge's "I Don't Want To Fall In Love" and Muse's "Undisclosed Desires".


	4. I Love You (But I Shan't Verbalize It)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strikes shall be thrown. Pain shall be delivered. Guilt shall wreak havoc on noble souls. Tears shall cascade on the shoulders of allies. But above all, love shall ascend from the ashes of conflict.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for some significant angst! It was quite the mission to edit this chapter. I enjoyed working on this part. I wanted to complete this chapter. It felt like it was my favorite. Whatever it takes. Enjoy the latest chapter! (I apologize if the paragraphs don't appear to be indented. I'm not sure what happened.)

Steve Rogers had taken his leave of the hyperlift elevator, making a cautious approach to the entrance of the Collector’s gallery. Upon his accession, he was greeted at the sight of his trusted co-leader, Carol Danvers, stationary at the locked doors with her back facing him.

He sighed, relieved that his friend appeared unharmed. “Captain Marvel, good to see you’re alive and well. The others along with myself were worried about you, so they sent me over to check on your well-being.”

“Really?” was all Carol replied.

Steve thought her voice had a distant tone but paid no mind. “That’s right, we leave no one behind. Have you recovered any of the Infinity Gems?”

“Yes, they’re safe.” Again, there was a flat reply.

Approaching Carol, Steve scrunched his eyebrows, perplexed at the situation. “Are you telling me you’ve already recovered all six Infinity Gems? I don’t see them with you. Where are they?”

Carol swiveled left, thrusting a right-handed uppercut to Steve’s jaw. As he fell on his back, an uncharacteristic, sadistic grin spread across her lips. “They’re in good hands. The Black Order’s keeping them safe and sound.”

Rising up to his feet, Steve rubbed his jaw as he realized what had transpired. “Carol, the Black Order’s taken control of your mind. You’ve got to break free.”

Carol began thrusting a flurry of alternating fists to Steve, whom had blocked her blows with his forearms. “I’m not being controlled by anyone, _Captain_! All these years as an Avenger, all my life I’ve been greeted with nothing but resentment and envy from everyone I’ve met. As for you, you’re the absolute worst. I’m nothing more than a female token for you to show off and prance around with on a fabricated display of equal partnership. Your antiquated soul cannot stand the fact that I’m the future of this group, this planet, and the entire universe! You’re just boiling with jealousy right now, aren’t you?” Following her indoctrinated, delusional tirade, she hurled two body punches and a high roundhouse kick that connected to his left jaw.

Staggering from the previous strike, Steve adopted evasive tactics as he sidestepped and ducked from her endless barrage of fists. “Carol, I’m not looking to hurt you. Furthermore, I’ve never viewed you as a token of any kind.”

As Carol executed a left jab, Steve grasped her left arm, twisted it behind her back and utilized his right arm to loop around her neck, entrapping her in a chokehold. “You’ve always been a great friend of mine. Let me remind you that we’ve never held any resentment towards you. Nat, Rhodey, Tony, Sam, Bucky and anyone else on our team… We’ll always care about you. Sure, you’ve got a cocky backbone at times, but that’s overshadowed by your heroic selflessness. I’m urging you to break away from the Black Order’s thrall, Carol. You can do this, partner.”

Carol squirmed underneath his grip, thrust her right elbow thrice onto his ribcage, grabbed ahold of his arm and threw him straight to the ground. She immediately mounts his midsection and unleashes an onslaught of left and right hooks upon his face, implementing purple bruises and busted lips in the process. “Let me clarify a few things, _Captain_ : I’m not your friend, I’m not your partner… Hell, I’m not even your associate! I have no relationship with you!”

Rising off Steve’s torso, she clasped her hands around his neck and hoisted his broad frame in the air. Ebony Maw had rematerialized a few feet behind the combating friends, relishing every second of his spiteful scheme with a gleaming smile. As Steve gurgled for air and his legs flailed wildly, Carol uttered a claim intended for absolute finality: “You’re just a terrible memory ready to be burned out of existence.”

Steve felt his lungs losing oxygen fast. The reminiscing of their enduring friendship wasn’t encroaching her mind as quickly as he’d hoped. He had one tactic left in mind, but he really hoped he wouldn’t have to use it. Oh dear, if his good mother were alive, she’d give him an endless smacking across his face. She will have to settle with rolling over her grave, which doesn’t comfort the World War 2 veteran in the slightest, either. Further compounding his conscience was the hidden fact that he would find himself attracted to Carol from time to time.

“F-forgive me, Carol…” Steve choked out.

She increased the pressure on his throat, her glower intensifying. “I don’t want to forgive you for anything, you pathetic boy scout. I want you to either fight or die, preferably the latter.”

“…But this is gonna hurt **_me_** a lot more than you.”

Steve thrust both his legs at Carol’s abdomen, freeing himself from her fierce vice grip. Upon landing, he unstrapped his vibranium shield off his back and fastened it on his left arm. Wasting no time, Carol’s entire form began emanating the sun-bright yellow aura known as photon energy. If she wasn’t infuriated with the Sentinel of Liberty then, the deeply furrowed scowl complete with clenched teeth indicated she was far more irritable as opposed to a few minutes prior.

 _Great. Ebony Maw’s about to have Carol go Binary on my backside,_ Steve thought, rolling his eyes.

He eyed his mind-controlled ally carefully as she outstretched her arms in front of herself and fired a streamlined concentration of photonic power from her hands. He hoisted his patriotic discus, the wondrous safeguard protecting him from grievous bodily harm as the beam reflected off to his left side. As the energy blast continuously petered away from him, Steve broke into a sprint directly at the destructively misguided Captain Marvel. Once he was in close proximity, he lunged his entire body weight, left shoulder and shield at the forefront, and tackled her to the floor. He proceeds to mount her torso, as she did to him a few minutes prior.

Steve formed a fist with his right hand and cocked his right arm backward. As he did this, he thought, _A few blows of concussive impact should do the trick. Mother, please don’t hold this against me._ A clenched set of knuckles made crushing contact with her skull four times before he was shoved off her body. Both captains rose to their feet; the space Avenger was significantly dazed. Shaking away her vertigo, Carol charged at Steve and threw two more alternating fists that he effortlessly sidestepped. He quickly snapped one straight right hand to her forehead and a right hook on her left temple. Noticing that her posture was straightening, Steve darted two steps forward, whirled left and bashed Carol’s forehead and nose with his shield-clad arm, performing an attack that closely resembles a spinning back fist. This caused Carol to fall flat on her back, leaving an irate Captain America glaring at the cause of his misery, Ebony Maw.

Slowly marching towards the trembling manipulator, he growled, “You insidious monster…”

Retreating backwards with his arms held in front of himself, Maw began stammering his words: “W-well, I, I, you, s-she… You know well enough what this half-Kree wench is capable of. What was I supposed to do, let her vanquish the entire Black Order in one fell swoop? Let her pilfer what rightfully belongs to our master? I wouldn’t let that happen! I utilized necessary countermeasures to circumvent her assault on us. Based on my up-close observations, I’d say Miss Danvers has proven to be quite the fascinating tool thus far. I’m genuinely enthusiastic about the fullest extent of her capabilities.”

Stepping over Carol’s incapacitated form, Steve shook his head in disgust. “Captain Marvel isn’t a tool to be used by anyone, least of all you. If she had taken me down, you would’ve converted her into an absolute killing machine. Had I not intervened, who knows what kind of atrocities she would’ve committed as a subservient pawn?! I’ve put an end to your sadistic scheme, Maw. Now you’re going to hand over the Infinity Gems and tell me where Thane is.”

Halting his retreat, Maw placed his hands around his back, his posture defiantly straight as a flagpole. “No.”

Steve demandingly pointed his index finger at the intellectual schemer. “What have you done with-”

A surprised shout left Steve’s vocal cords as he was pulled to the ground, his waistband tugged by a reawakened Carol Danvers. She once more positioned herself atop his waist and clamped her hands around his throat.

Gradually approaching the spot where Carol attempts a second strangulation upon Steve, Ebony Maw beams with perverse pride. “It seems that Miss Danvers isn’t finished with you, great Captain. Strangle every last ounce of oxygen out of his lungs, little madam. This incorrigible fool has vastly outstayed his welcome.”

Steve placed his hands on each of Carol’s wrists, struggling to pry her hands off his waning esophagus. Amid his efforts to liberate his neck from Carol’s clutches, he discerned her scowl reverting to her warm, tender visage. The pressure she was applying to his throat started to lessen as well. Feeling absolute mortification upon realization of what she had committed, she muttered in a deftly low pitch: “I’m so sorry, Steve.”

The congenial captain lightly nodded, then proceeded to feign his struggle against his space-faring ally.

Ebony Maw strutted close to his in-fighting adversaries and stood behind Carol, peering over her left shoulder as she continuously choked her co-captain. “Excellent, Miss Danvers. Make sure he never wriggles out of your grasp.”

Carol snapped her left elbow back, smacking Maw’s noseless face. She rose off Steve’s waist and curled the fingers on her right hand into a fist as it emitted an all-too-familiar photonic glow. She torqued left and slammed a photon-imbued straight right hand onto Maw’s forehead. His entire form collapsed back first to the ground, and the orange-colored Soul Gem tumbled out of his robe pockets. Bouncing at her direction, Carol briefly bent over and snatched the omnipotent orb with her left hand and slipped it in her red sash.

Ebony Maw sat up, rubbed his seared forehead with his left hand and outstretched his right arm in a half-halting, half-pleading motion. “Enough! Take the blasted stone. I have little use for such baubles… Not when I have a far greater prize within my grasp!”

As Maw dematerialized out of view, Carol turned back to Steve and held out her left hand. He grabbed it and was lifted off the ground. Upon standing, he picked up his shield and strapped it on his back.

“Uh… Among other terrible things I’ve done, I used the shield against you, Carol,” Steve nervously rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes averted left and right. “I’m truly sorry about that.”

Carol’s countenance appeared crestfallen as she shook her head. “I’m the one who should be sorry.” She unexpectedly ensnared him in a tight embrace, burying her face on his right shoulder. Initially confused, Steve returned the gesture in kind by wrapping his arms around her back. Amidst Carol’s muffled sobbing, he brushed his fingers up and down her upper back and lightly rocked her back and forth.

After spending a few minutes of unleashing a torrential wave of guilt-ridden tears, Carol lifted her head off of Steve’s shoulder, her bloodshot hazel eyes gazing into his gentle blues. “It was such an emotional struggle, Steve. One moment I knew who I was, the next I was an unrecognizable monster. I had no idea what my true identity was. His lies were so absolutely compelling to the point where I couldn’t shake them off. The more he talked, the more immersed I was in their horrifying cause. I… I did my best to fight him off. He got to me, Steve. Everything I did to you, said about you… I… I didn’t mean-”

Pressing his hands down on her shoulders, Steve cut her off. “You can stop right there, Colonel. There’s nothing to forgive. The verbal hatred, delusional ranting, the vicious assault… That was indeed an unrecognizable monster conceived of by Ebony Maw, molded in the form of one of my wonderful friends. Thankfully, that particular friend came to my timely rescue by shattering the image of that monster and retrieving one of the six Infinity Gems.”

Steve proceeded to press his helmet-clad forehead onto Carol’s as he continued to look intently at her eyes. “Carol, listen to me closely. No one holds ownership of your individual freedom except you. Not Maw, not that despicable Marcus… Just you, Captain. Let me remind you of another matter: I’m here, I’m okay, and I’m alive. All of that was because of you. You. Saved. Me.”

Tightening her embrace, Carol beamed an appreciative grin. “Thanks, Captain. Coming from you, those words mean the world to me.”

The Co-Captains remained entwined within their embrace, nuzzling each other’s noses as their warm gazes towards one another lingered. They remained like that until the pattering (and rumbling) of footsteps gradually drew near earshot. Looking off to their side, they saw Hulk, Star-Lord, Wolverine and Psylocke approaching their area. They abruptly broke away from each other’s vises. As Steve’s arms dangled on each side, Carol placed her hands on her hips, an indication to Steve that her typical spunky sass had returned.

“Hey hey, Captains! Glad to see you’re both okay,” Quill waved to his teammates, his elemental blasters clutched in each hand. “Wow, you guys look worse for wear. What happened?”

Carol opened her mouth to speak but Steve intervened. “Ebony Maw caught us in an ambush. Fortunately, we counterattacked him at opportune times and fended him off. In the process, we’ve acquired the Soul Gem.”

“Awesome work, guys. With you two around, there was never any doubt, right?” Quill chuckled pointing ahead to the opened pathway leading to the next lift. “Next stop: the Collector’s gallery!”

Carol strolled to the lift when she saw Quill jogging to her right side. “Hey, Captain. You mind telling me what that was about?”

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, what are you referring to?”

“I may have been a few yards away, but I could’ve sworn I saw you and the old man hugging it out. It looked rather… intimate, if you ask me.”

“Well, no one asked you, and Steve was helping me up,” the Air Force colonel curtly replied.

“So you’re saying you weren’t up close and personal with Captain Rogers, squeezing him body-on-body? You also _most definitely_ weren’t touching foreheads and nuzzling noses-”

“Steve was helping me up, Quill. End of discussion,” Carol snarled through clenched teeth as her cheeks flushed.

Captain America was left alone in his thoughts, his head hanging low. Never has he felt such shame in his life as he laid his hands upon a female. A person who happens to be a friend. A woman who happens to be a person of infatuated interest. Sure, there were mornings where they would engage in sparring sessions. How’s that any different from fights to the death, he misguidedly rationalized. Nope, he was as much of a villain as Marcus Immortus and Victor Von Doom. Once the war against Thanos was over, he’ll create significant space between himself and Captain Marvel. He shouldn’t be worthy to wield Mjolnir, so why on earth should he be worthy of even asking her out on a single date?

Dr. Bruce Banner’s alter ego, the green-skinned goliath called Hulk, saw his star-spangled ally appearing dismayed. He proceeded to roughly tap his shoulder. “Flag man.”

Steve was jilted from his thoughts and looked at his gamma-irradiated friend. “Oh, Hulk. Good to see you. Need something?”

“You’re looking sad, flag man. Why’s flag man sad?”

Steve plastered a fake smile as he elicited some forced chuckling. “I’m not sad. Do I look unhappy? I’m just a little tired from the last fight.”

Hulk appeared unconvinced as he, along with the adamantium-laced brawler and the telepathic ninja, moved forward. “Hulk thinks flag man’s lying, but Hulk doesn’t have time for questions. Hulk was beaten by ugly aliens last time, so Hulk needs to smash!”

James ‘Logan’ Howlett, the notorious Wolverine, nudges the shoulder of his friend, Elizabeth Braddock, the elegantly lethal Psylocke. “Hey, babe. I think the boy scout knows more than he’s letting on. You have any idea why he’s down in the dumps?"

Betsy’s lips curl into a wry smirk. “Captain Rogers was compelled to fight a mind-controlled Danvers and he feels ever so guilty about it.”

“That’s not all, is there?” Logan slowly drawled out.

“Rogers is quite smitten with the Colonel as we speak. Hence why so much guilt is festered inside his lovely heart.”

Logan’s eyes went as wide as saucer plates. “Carol? I figured she’d be too wild for his tastes. Hold up, I thought he was bangin’ that Sharon Carter chick.”

“You’re not exactly Mr. Current Events, are you, Logan?” Betsy snickered. “Agent 13 broke up with Rogers years ago.”

“Eh, whatever,” Logan nonchalantly shrugged.

Betsy clicked her tongue. “Oh, I almost forgot: If we do survive our latest intergalactic conflict, you owe me a nice, exquisite dinner after losing to me in a game of chess.” She raised a gloved hand and sensually smoothened his thick, fuzzy sideburns.

Logan darted his eyes at his violet-haired companion as a grin spread across his face, a rare expression from the old canucklehead. “I’m gonna give you so much more than dinner, Betts.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you enjoy the duel of the paramours? And you thought you were going to see some good lip-smacking action, didn't you? For this chapter, you'll have to settle for lovey-dovey fluff! Ha ha ha! One more chapter to go.


	5. Patriotic Paramours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Steve continuously struggles with the aftermath of his fight against Carol, the Colonel decides to enlighten his confused mind and aching heart by sealing the deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a little break! It was necessary, as I needed to genuinely chill out my batteries and work on other writing projects. Some of the aforementioned projects MIGHT involve more Steve/Carol, but we'll see. I can't promise to be a constant churning machine for writing, but I do want to publish more fanfics. Enjoy the final chapter!

-Avengers Tower, Present Day

Carol Danvers was seated near the desk of Steve Rogers, her fingers rhythmically tapping the arms of her chair as she incorporated the revelation as to why Captain America had been disregarding her existence for weeks. “So, in your grand, brainless logic, you were almost willing to uphold your admirable societal principles at the brink of intergalactic destruction. Do you realize, in retrospect, that you would’ve doomed the fucking universe? You bashed my brains repeatedly for the best reasons ever.”

Steve scoffed, looking away from his friend. “How easy it is for you to say, Carol. I didn’t want to resort to such heinous activity. I feel like a hypocrite, the biggest piece of crap out of all of you guys.”

“Trust me, you’re not a piece of shit. Quite the opposite, actually!”

Steve snorted at her efforts to pacify his inner turmoil. “Am I not, though? How am I any different from the barbaric brutes that slap and strike their girlfriends across the face?”

Carol rose from her seat and placed her hands on his desk, her lithe form towering over him. “Unlike those kinds of assholes, you were facing a dilemma: Punch me a few times so you can free me from mind magic and we argue about it later, or you let yourself get killed and Captain Marvel along with the Black Order unleashes intergalactic terrorism beyond repair. The latter choice sounds less appealing, don’t you think?”

Steve placed his hands on his face, the guilt still evident in his body language. “I feel awful about it, and I’m going to feel like this for quite some time! Had the fight dragged on, I may have actually resorted to murdering you! Or maybe I could’ve permanently debilitated you to a babbling lunatic. Or maybe I could’ve paralyzed you for life. Or maybe-”

Carol walked around Steve’s desk, forcibly removed his hands off his face and grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt collar, hoisting him off his chair. Her eyes intently glared at his. “Coulda, woulda, shoulda. I’m not dead, nor am I the Black Order’s puppet anymore. Wanna know who’s responsible for that?”

Steve lightly bobbed his head from side to side. “Your unwavering persistence?”

“It was a really good friend of mine. I was neck deep in some awful mindfuckery, yet this great guy refused to use the cowardly decision of murder and appealed to my previous feats of heroism, empathy, and loyalty towards the Avengers in order to lull me back to my senses. This man is always willing to put his life on the line to save others, be it innocent bystanders or his close allies. Everyone here in Avengers Tower holds tremendous reverence for this soldier. I also happen to respect and admire this person. The world knows him as Captain America, but his name is Steven Grant Rogers.”

Steve hung his head low but Carol was quick to cup his face with her hands, reverting his gaze on hers. “Let me put it in terms you might remember: I’m here, I’m okay, and I’m alive.”

As a wry smirk appeared on Carol’s lips, the star-spangled soldier’s mouth spread a wide grin of his own. The next moment, she gradually dove her head closer to his until her lips pressed firmly onto his. To her delight, Steve returned her affectionate gesture as he pecked her supple lips in addition to her cheeks and neck numerous times with vigorous fervor. A breathy moan mewled out of Carol’s voice box, parting open her lips. Steve swiftly slipped his tongue into her mouth as they commenced with the timeless game of tonsil hockey whilst he stroked her honey-blond faux hawk.

Pulling away from Steve with one final smack of her lips, Carol’s eyes peered once more into his, her mouth beaming widely and her heart rapidly beating with undeterred bliss. “You’re a good man, Steve. Just remember that you’ve committed no wrongs on me. None.”

“I appreciate that, Carol. Thanks,” Steve replied, retaining his hold of her hair with his left hand and wrapped his right arm around her waist. “I truly am sorry for shutting you out for so long. I should’ve had a discussion with you about this much earlier.”

“I understand everything now, and I do forgive you.”

After spending a few more minutes of cuddling, they broke away from one another; Steve returning to his chair as he resumed his debriefing report, Carol walking to the door unlatching both locks and pulling it open. She looked back at Steve, whom noticed her glancing at him. “Since we’ll be seeing each other more often, we should do a variety of things like driving along beaches, streaming movies, travel to amusement parks, and attend baseball games, among others.”

Steve briefly formed a quick thumbs-up with his right hand. “I like the sound of those ideas, especially baseball!”

Carol’s mouth tugged into an impish smirk, her eyes casting a naughty glint. “I know, Boston Baseball’s the greatest ever!”

“Oh please, Danvers,” Steve guffawed. “You won’t find a more enduringly steadfast franchise than the one found in New York.”

“Oh, don’t you fucking get me started on New York. They’ve sucked ass for years!” Carol flicked her tongue out at her latest paramour, whom was cackling at her response while she closed his door.

As she started the long trek to her own office, Carol plucked her smartphone out of her jeans pocket and dialed Natasha’s number.

“Hey, Carol. Did everything go well with you and Steve?”

Smiling with satisfactory pride, Captain Marvel replied: “Nat, I’ve got sole ownership of America’s Ass, and I’m never letting it go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you're probably wondering why I didn't insert the proverbial exchange of "I Love Yous" or "I Like Yous". There's an old adage of actions speaking louder than words. The kissing scene was more than enough confirmation of Steve & Carol's mutual infatuations. During the editing process of Chapter 5 (Patriotic Paramours), I was inspired by one other song: England Dan & John Ford Coley's "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight". Wow, I really enjoyed my time and experience writing this. This was probably my first fanfiction involving Marvel characters EVER. I hope to publish more content sooner rather than later, but I'm a slow sea bass. Thanks for reading!


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